Ganoderma lucidum, also named Lingzhi or Reishi, has been widely used all over the world for centuries. According to Chinese medicine, Ganoderma lucidum can penetrate into and work on the five key human organs for impairment of the heart, lung, liver, pancreas, and kidney. Ganoderma lucidum can cure the sickness of various human systems including respiratory, circulatory, digestive, neural, endocrine, locomotory, etc, involving medical, surgical, gynecological, paediatric, and ENT. All these are because of its fundamental effect of "supporting the vital essence and securing the basics", thus to improving the immune system. It differs from any other medicines that are used to cure specific disease, or supplementary nutrients that only address particular body requirements. Ganoderma lucidum helps regulate entire body mechanism and metabolism to ensure that all organs function properly. Some specific effects of Ganoderma lucidum are as follows:

1. Effect on Tumor

Main cause to the development of tumor is the disorder of or poor performing immune system. Ganoderma lucidum can best regulate and activate the immune system. It prominently enhances the body immune function and increase self defense capability against tumor. Ganoderma lucidum enhances the function of monocytic macrophage via activating synthesis of interleukin H. It also enhances blood synthesis capacity, particularly white blood cells level. Combining with the inhibitory effect on cancer cells provided by certain ingredients in Ganoderma lucidum, it becomes one of the most effective medicines for anti-tumor, prevent cancer, and supplement to cancer treatment. Ganoderma lucidum possesses hardly any toxic to human body. This unique feature of enhancing immunity without toxigenicity is the definite advantage of Ganoderma lucidum over any other immune system intensifier.

2. Liver Protection & Detoxification

Ganoderma lucidum is able to protect the liver from damaged by various physiological and biological factors. Moreover, effect can be obtained either pre-or post-damage. Ganoderma lucidum speeds up metabolism of both medicine and toxic substances in liver, leading to curing of toxicated hepatitis. Ganoderma lucidum is also suitable for treating chronic hepatitis, effectively eliminating the related symptoms as dizzy, fatigue, and so on. Ganoderma lucidum can be used to treat chronic toxicosis, the various kinds of chronic hepatitis, and other hepatic diseases.

3. Effect on Cardiovascular

Clinical studies and experiments with animals confirm that Ganoderma lucidum can effectively dilate coronary artery, increase coronary vessel blood flow, and improve circulation in cardiac muscle capillaries, thus increase the supply of oxygen and energy to cardiac muscle. Therefore Ganoderma lucidum helps to protect the heart from shortage of blood supply, and it is ideal for both curing and preventing heart diseases like nausea. Ganoderma lucidum can obviously reduce the level of blood cholesterol, liporotein and triglycerides in hypertensive patienst. It prevents the formation of arterial atheromatous patches. If patches are already formed, Ganoderma lucidum will reduce cholesterol in arterial wall and soften the blood vessel to avoid further damage. It also partially improves blood circulation, and inhibits platelet aggregation. All these effects contribute to preventing various kinds of stroke.

4. Aging Prevention

The polysaccharides and polypeptides found in Ganoderma lucidum can effectively delay aging by the following mechanisms.

1). To enhance and regulate immune function. Such enhancement and regulation can effectively delay aging in adult and aged people. For the youngster, the immune system will be optimized to ensure healthy growth.

2). To regulate metabolism and enhance synthesis of nucleic acids and proteins. Research works have shown that Ganoderma lucidum enhances synthesis of nucleic acids and proteins in blood plasma, liver, and bone marrow, hence effectively prevent aging. It is observed that the use of Ganoderma lucidum to prevent aging benefits not only the aged, but also the young, since growth and development process will ultimately lead to aging.

3). Effect on Free Radicals. One cause of aging is the reduction of self-originated antioxidant or antioxidant-like material (such as SOD)in the body. These antioxidants are essential for encountering damage to the body by free radicals. Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides possess the properties that are very similar to SOD which can remove the free radicals and prevent its damage to the body by stopping over-oxidation of lipid. Such action protects the cells and delays their aging.

4). Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides prominently enhance DNA synthesis in cell nucleus, and increase the number of cell divisions, which results in delayed aging.

5. Effect on Neurasthenia

In Chinese medication, Ganoderma lucidum has been used to treat neurasthenia and insomnia since it works on the central nervous system. Extract from Ganoderma lucidum can inhibit and reduce the level of body activity. This inhibitory effect is quantitative and is helpful for resuming the order of activity level. The fact that Ganoderma lucidum can delay the death as the result of over-dosage of a central stimulant such as caffeine demonstrates shows that Ganoderma lucidum works on the central nervous system by applying an inhibitory effect.
In ancient Chinese medical publications, Ganoderma lucidum can serve to "stabilize emotion", "increase wisdom", and "enhance memory power". Recently, it is reported that Ganoderma lucidum has prominent effect on insomnia caused by neurasthenia: Effectiveness is 87.14% to 100%.In general, effect becomes obvious after a period of 10 to 15 days, when sleep improved, appetite increased, and body weight gained. Related headache and dizzy will be reduced or stopped. Ganoderma lucidum has a relatively strong effect on the central nervous system that makes Ganoderma lucidum an effective substance for treatment of neurasthenia and insomnia. Ganoderma lucidum is becoming more and more indispensable to the sufferers of neurasthenia and insomnia. To date, the effect of Ganoderma lucidum on neurasthenia and insomnia has been clearly described and stated in the China State pharmacopoeia.

6. Effect on Hypertension

Ganoderma lucidum can effectively reduce blood pressure of an anesthetized rabbit: systolic and diastolic pressure lowered by 15% and 25% respectively. Related neural activity is also inhibited: inhibition is 20% and 40% respectively. According to a report of a hospital, there had been 18 cases of high blood pressure successfully cured by Ganoderma lucidum extract, effectiveness up to 88.9%. It was stated that the effect of reducing blood pressure by Ganoderma lucidum was mainly the result of inhibition to the sympathetic nervous system. From another report, among 30 cases using Ganoderma lucidum products to cure high blood pressure, effectiveness was 88.3%. Moreover, it was found that Ganoderma lucidum also extends and stabilizes the effect of reducing blood pressure of other medicine.

7. Treament of Diabetes

The constitutes in Ganoderma lucidum that reduce blood glucose are Ganoderma B and C. The principle is by enhancing utilization of blood glucose by body tossues. Ganoderma lucidum serves as a substitute to insulin to inhibit release of fatty acids. It thus improves symptoms in high blood glucose and high urine glucose patients. Blood glucose will be reduced from 173 to 116, cholesterol from 233 to 179, beat-protein from 580 to 465. Water-solubility polysaccharides in Ganoderma lucidum suppresse insulin-independent diabetes. The health food products manufactured by Japan Numata Kenji, has been widely used for the treatment of diabetes.

8. Effect on Chronic Bronchitis & Bronchus Asthma

Ganoderma lucidum can stop coughing, clear sputum, and suppress asthma. It also relieves the symptoms of the related illnesses. Since Ganoderma lucidum can activate the immune system, it can prevent from flu, and thus above syndromes. Ganoderma lucidum is particularly suitable for the treatment of the patients categorized as "cold and wet" by Chinese medicine, while for the "hot and dry" patients would be relatively less effective. The average effectiveness is 80%.

9. Effect on Hyper Susceptibility

When the body is invaded by an antigen that ellicits an immunological reactions and results the various abnormality and immuno-pathological symptoms, Ganoderma lucidum can be used to suppress the reactions and resume the body order. The experiment shows that Ganoderma lucidum can stop the release of hyper susceptible factors and prevent the development of allergic reactions. Therefore, Ganoderma lucidum is relatively more effective over other current medicines when treating the illnesses caused by abnormal hyper-reactivity or autoimmunity such as allergic asthma, erythematous lupus vulgaris, rheumatoic arthritis, rheumatoic heart diseases, allergic rhinitis, skin diseases, etc. Ganoderma lucidum can also help to cure the toxification patients as the result of pro-longed usage of hormones.

10. Effect on Beauty Care

Ganoderma lucidum has been named the "Medicine of Eternal Life". It is mainly contributed to the effect on skin protection, and delaying aging. Ganoderma lucidum can retain and regulate the water in skin and thus can keep the skin elasticity, hydrated and smooth. It also inhibits the formation and deposition of melanin in skin. Today, the beauty care products made from Ganoderma lucidum are becoming the new stars in the industry. Taking Ganoderma lucidum food products will obtain synergistic effect. To add Ganoderma lucidum into the bath will not only keep the skin smooth and lustrous, but also prevent it from bacterial infection.

In addition to the above effects, Ganoderma lucidum stimulates blood synthesis in bone marrow and increase WBC level, which make it suitable for the treatment of low WBC symptom caused by over dosage of radiation and blood diseases, etc. By enhancing the body immune system, Ganoderma lucidum can defend the body from viral infections like AIDS virus. Ganoderma lucidum also promotes tolerance of the body to adverse environment. It suppresses over contraction of smooth muscle in uterus to remedy the functional uterine bleeding. Ganoderma lucidum is also effective for the pigment denaturation in retina, the underdeveloped brain, as well as abnormal muscular development. Ganoderma lucidum is also an effective pain reliever for headache, neural pain, cancer pain, etc.